{Recipes} Homemade Tomato Soup

All of this gorgeous fall-like weather has put me in soup-mode. My favorite meal ever in the fall and winter is a big bowl of soup with some good crusty bread. My mom started a tradition when I was in highschool that made me the soup lover I am today. Every Friday night she made a big pot of a different kind of homemade soup all through the fall and winter. It was the absolute best...I remember really looking forward to those soup Fridays. I hope to start the same tradition for my family as well, but while my babies are young and can't eat soup, my hubby and I enjoy wine and pizza Fridays for now!

Ingredients:
~ 2 46 oz cans of tomato juice
~ 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
~ 3 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
~ 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
~ 1 onion, diced
~ 1 1/2 cups milk
~ 1 1/2 cups half & half
~ 1/2 cup beef broth
~ 4 tablespoons butter
~ 3 tablespoons brown sugar
~ 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
~ 1 8 oz bag of sharp cheddar cheese
~ 1 can of white beans, rinsed
~ 1 box Ditalini pasta
~ garlic salt, parsley, black pepper & dried basil

Directions:
~ In a big soup pot saute the diced onion on medium heat in butter until tender.
~ Add tomato juice, crushed, diced and fresh tomatoes.
~ Add milk, half & half and broth and stir
~ Add brown sugar and stir
~ Add baking soda {will cause to foam...continue stirring until foam has decreased}
~ Add spices to taste
~ Bring this mixture up to high heat {until hot and bubbly}. Then turn down and add cheese, beans and pasta for the last 15 minutes. ***Do not leave beans and pasta in for too long or they will turn mushy***
~ Serve with crusty bread

{My pic doesn't even show the best part....the white beans and pasta....they must have been at the bottom!}